Apart from allowing yourself to indulge in a candy cane (who knew they were only 60 calories!), below is a delicious treat that you can cook up for yourself or your guests, with only a fraction of the calories, carbs, and sugar.

The Sugarless Pumpkin Pie with a Pecan CrustThe great thing about pumpkin pie is not only that it can double up as a dessert during the holidays, but that everyone who’s tried it can’t even tell that it’s sugar-free OR low carb! Preheat your oven to 425 F and gather up these ingredients:

For the pecan nut crust:

1 cup of frozen pecan pieces

2 Tablespoons of melted butter

2 Tablespoons of an artificial sweetener (Stevia is a good alternative, though you can also use liquid sucralose)

For the filling:

15 ounces of canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/3 of a cup of cream

2/3 of a cup of milk, cream, or unsweetened soy milk (soy milk has the least amount of carbohydrates)

1 cup of an artificial sweetener

1 tsp of dark molasses

2 tsp of cinnamon

1 small tsp of nutmeg

¼ tsp of ground ginger

1 pinch of cloves

¼ tsp of salt

Pecan Nut Crust PreparationYou can quickly whip up a pecan nut crust for this pie by first removing the pecans from the freezer and putting them in a food processor or blender. Blend until the pecans are the size of split peas.

Next, add in the butter and the sweetener.

Now add it all together in a pie pan, and push the crust down with your fingers so that the crust covers the bottom and sides.

Pumpkin Pie FillingTake out that food processor or blender again and add all of the above ingredients for the pumpkin pie filling into it. Blend it until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Next, pour the filling into the pecan nut crust you just made.

Put the pie into the oven, and turn the oven down to 375 F. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Once those 15 minutes are up, turn the oven down again to 300 F. Continue to bake the crust and check on the pie in 30 minutes. The pie will be done when the filling’s set in the middle, and/or when the crust begins to crack around the edges. If the pie’s not done, continue to check in on it in 5-minute intervals.

When the pie’s done, simply take it out to cool and move onto your next big decision – whether to use those saved calories to add some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to the plate…

The Health Local Staff is a team of writers and experts dedicated to bringing you the latest health, nutrition and lifestyle information at www.healthlocal.ca.